US Senator John Cornyn Weighs In On Trump Impeachment Before Trial Begins
IRVING, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Friday there's a better option to dismissing the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump before the trial begins.
During an unrelated event in Irving, Cornyn said, "It's better for the country, it's better for the Senate, it's better for all involved for us after people have heard everything they want to hear in terms of evidence, to go to the final vote. So I think rather than a motion to dismiss, which sounds like it's being dismissive of the charges, I think we need to treat it with the gravity and seriousness with which we should. I think going to a final decision rather than being dismissive of the case is a better way to go."
On Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts — who will preside over the trial — and senators were sworn-in.
During the trial that begins Tuesday, the 100 senators will have to sit at their desks silently and can't use their cell phones.
Last month, House Democrats impeached President Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, accusing him of withholding military aid to Ukraine to pressure the country's president to publicly announce they would investigate Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
"It's a partisan impeachment. The evidence is less than compelling I think as evidenced by the fact that the House Impeachment Managers want to supplement what was offered in the House.The Constitution says treason, bribery, high crimes, and misdemeanors, but the House in its wisdom, decided not even to charge the President with a crime," Cornyn said.
On Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) spoke after hearing the charges read in the Senate chamber.
"It was a solemn recitation of the charges that it proved are crimes against our democracy itself. To actually hear the charges read, even though we heard them many times before, impresses the seriousness of the charges," Schumer said. "This is not something trivial. this is not something that can be dismissed."
Senate Democrats want new witnesses to testify, and some Senate Republicans may want that as well.
Convicting and removing a President from office requires a vote by 67 senators, and because of that, Republicans — who maintain control of the Senate — have said that's highly unlikely for President Trump.